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Republican-Led Red-Baiting Lives on in Irvine

Twitter is a marvelous tool for some — 140 characters to demonstrate a complete lack of tolerance, demagoguery and good old-fashioned McCarthyism all directed by conservative Irvine city commissioners and senior officials in the Republican Party in the wake of last week’s city council meeting in which there was an effort to expand Irvine’s “friendship city” roster to include cities from China, Pakistan and Vietnam. It was a Tweeted confession of intolerance and limited vision by several.

It was the Vietnamese friendship city inclusion that drew the most ire and Red-baiting tweets from Commissioners Allan Bartlett and Lynn Schott, as well as GOP official and Flash Report publisher Jon Fleischman and California GOP official Kathy Tavoularis. Council member Christina Shea was actually begging Bartlett to retweet one of her tweets. Tweeting from the dais during a council meeting perhaps?

@allanbartlett Wonder if Agran will somehow work in a reference to his friend Hanoi Jane Fonda?

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Wow, such witty knee slappers.

Schott appears not to know the difference between a sister city proposal and a friendship city proposal. Which she should because she’s on her third run for city council and is a city planning commissioner, or was, before Five Points took over that function for the city.

We’ve never questioned the lack of freedom or poor record on human rights in Vietnam. Pakistan has a terrible record too. So does China. But Vietnam isn’t on the list of the 20 nations with the worst records of human rights violations. Fleischman tweeted that Larry Agran wouldn’t want people to read the Amnesty International Report on Human Rights violations from 2013. They probably shouldn’t read that organization’s report of Human Rights violations in the United Statesagainst immigrants, women, the poor, the old and the sick either. In fact many of these human rights violations can be tied to official positions in the Republican Party.

Perhaps Jon ought to read Amnesty International’s reports on Human Rights violations from China, Russia, various Eastern Europe countries, and those oil rich nations in the Middle East. Even Israel has an unflattering report. No nation is immune from human rights violations.

Vietnam is America’s 29th largest trading partner but we’re the top market in the world for Vietnam. And according to this 2011 report, trade between our nations is only going to increase. Vietnam’s economy will become increasingly dependent on America dollars. What better way to insist on changes to Vietnam’s political environment and human rights? You can’t do it unless you’re talking with them.

But to start dropping tags of “Commie Larry” and “Jane Fonda” references about her visits to North Vietnam in the 1960s, which have become more fiction than fact, Bartlett, Schott, Fleischman and Tavolauris are engaging in the sort of language and rhetoric that should have died out when Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy had his career effectively ended by Edward R. Murrow.

I had a small correction to my post from Friday after a brief Facebook exchange with Mayro Pro Tem Jeff Lalloway. I am still waiting for an answer on how to effect change in Vietnam unless there’s some sort of dialogue. I’ve posed the question to several politicos on the Republican side as well. My answer — so far — stony silence. Far easier to light the torches than actually present an idea I guess.

Larry Agran is trying to sell a crap sandwich. In China, Vietnam and Pakistan – local city government officials are installed party thugs.

Jon Fleischman

Fleischman fails to see that his Republican Party seeks to install party thugs as local city government officials. And to paraphrase, “These people have no decency.” Instead of ideas, they use taunts and name-calling. Cowards.

There’s one thing Agran has over all of these Tweeters. He’s worn the uniform of our nation. Agran was in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1962 to 1970, including 6 months of active duty training at Fort Ord and several years of weekends and part-time service.

What war was going on then?

Enough with the “Commie” talk; very John Birch of you Republicans to engage in that sort of thing, but it’s outdated and not effective. How about some constructive ideas for actually bringing about positive change in Vietnam? Because I haven’t heard a single idea from Republicans on what to do there.

20 comments for “Republican-Led Red-Baiting Lives on in Irvine”

“But to start dropping .. “Jane Fonda” references about her visits to North Vietnam in the 1960s, which have become more fiction than fact ..”

So the photo of Hanoi Jane posed all googly-eyed on the anti-aircraft battery poised to shoot down American pilots was photoshopped? Hardly ……. she is a traitor.

Dan Chmielewski

April 15, 2014 at 8:37 am

She apologized a few times for her visit to North Vietnam, but the rumors of her being a communist, that she turned over notes from POWs to the North Vietnamese, and was a member of the Communist Party are all unfounded.

Ltpar

April 15, 2014 at 9:55 am

Dan, you accused Lynn Shott of not knowing the difference between the Sister City Program and the Frendship City Program. Perhaps she does not recall all the specifics, but I do because I was there seeing it unfold up close and personal.

The Friendship City idea surfaced after Larry Agran, Beth Krom and Sukhee Kang destroyed the Irvine Sister City Program, one of the most productive in the United States. After being forced to disband the Sister City Board of Directors of which I was a member, turned in our Charter and disappeared. The City then turned to the informal title of Friendship Cities, which was a subpar version of the old Sister City operation.

As I know you are already aware but fail to accurately report, the Agranistas had been pushing for a Sister City in China. I made one trip to China with the delegation to try and work out the details but we could not reach closure. Several years later Beth Krom led a delegation to China once again to make a second attempt at establishing the relationship. I did not attend that trip. While there Krom initiated a tentative agreement with the Chinese and signed a letter of agreement for the new Sister City relationship. No one including the Sister City Board Members on the trip knew anything about the agreement or letter until the delegation returned home. The Sister City Board then discovered the under the table agreement initiated by Beth Krom and that it included a demand by the Communist Chinese Government that Irvine accept a One China Policy and eliminate our long term sister City in Taiwan. Our Board of course, refused to accept such a condition, but did advise China that if they removed the demand from the package, we would consider moving forward with the Sister City relationship. China adamently refused and the Irvine sister City Board terminated the request for the relationship.

The above action caused embarassment to the Agranistas. While having no hard evidence, we always thought that Larry Agran had developed some sor of quid pro quo financial relationship with the Chinese, especially since Larry never does anything for nothing. Beth Krom lied through her teeth bothe then and now trying to blame the agreement and letter signing on a City staff member. I personally knew the involved staff member and anyone who has been around City Hall for more than five minutes understands staff members do not have that authority. Beth Krom, the magnanimous City Council Member, promptly threw the staff member under the bus, blaming her for what Krom had actualy done. The staff member fell on her sword to protect Krom, was demoted to a lesser job at City Hall and went quietly into the night. Because of the Sister City Board refusing to go along with the China demand, the Agranistas cut all assistance to the Sister City Program. Since the program was all being run by volunteers, most with full time jobs, we could no longer maintain the program. It folded and what had once been an excellent platform for business, educational and professional exchanges was no more. I rate this underhanded activity by the Agranistas as one of the worst stunts they have ever pulled. Unless the Irvine Chinese Community are now sympathetic to the Communist government and their Human Rights violations, I find it hard to understand how they could possibly support the Aganistas.

Hope I have cleared up this matter on the difference between Sister City and Friendship City Programs.

Pat, love how you spread rumors with the “no hard evidence” line. The Irvine Chinese community is actually quite upset with the Republican majority. I get it Pat, Larry Agran, in your view, is evil and everything he does is wrong. What you fail to recognize is that Irvine has doubled in size since 1989 when Ms. Shea rose to power to defeat a Human Rights Ordinance that effectively allowed discrimination against Gays and Lesbians. I have no hard evidence that she’s no longer a bigot. I have lots of hard evidence that she lied to Katherine Daigle and had her lawyers send Daigle threatening letters (because I have copies of her emails and letters).

Pat, none of what you wrote explains away the Red-Baiting and McCarthy-like tactics your party has employed so successfully in the past. Its 2014 Pat. Not 1949.

Ltpar

April 15, 2014 at 10:15 am

Dan, on your liking the tweet by Jon Fleischman, just let me add one personal point of view. Larry Agran has been selling “Crap” sandwiches to the citizens of Irvine for more years than I can remember. The patethic thing is, until recently those citizens were gobbling them down like hot cakes. The good news is, it seems the voters have changed their sandwich preference and Larry’s flavor has run out. Guess we will know that in November.

Secondly, from a personal view, I have know Larry Agran for over thirty years and for some of that time we were friends and worked together for the benefit of the City. I have never known him to be a Communist sympathizer, even when promoting the Sandanista demonstrations at City Hall in our earlier years. I think he cares as much about America as most people do. That said, having observed him closely for many years, Larry Agran did as many career politicans do, he became addicted to the power and prestige of the job. To that end, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is where Larry was until being knocked off the throne in the last election. With the baggage he is currently carrying and that which will come with the final report of the Great Park Audit, I expect to see Agran replaced on the City Council in November. Who knows, I could be wrong and those voters might want to go back to those “Crap” sandwiches of the past.

Ltpar

April 15, 2014 at 10:26 am

Dan, you in addition to being the “Spinmaster” for the Agranistas you are now censoring the comments submitted which refute your position. That is what you just did by removing my post on the China situation. I realize you cannot defend the actions of the Agranistas on their China screw up, but censorship says a lot about the integrity of this Web Site.

Jon Fleischman ‏@FlashReport · 7h
A left wing quack here in OC thinks that having served in the U.S. military gives one license to be pro-Communist Vietnam. Whatever.

Ltpar

April 15, 2014 at 3:56 pm

Dan, after all the years, you still don’t know me? I speak only for myself and do not represent positions of either the Orange County or National Republican Party. In fact, I am on the OC Republican Party “Shit List” because of my public criticism of some of their hand picked shills. They demanded Shea & Choi to fire me from working in their campaign when they ran together in 2010. The point I am trying to make here is that I don’t parrot anybody’s philosophy and give Republicans equal credit with the Democrats for royally screwing the country. If it were up to me, I would fire them all.

Pardon me if I happen to believe that Communism is the enemy of America, since I have been defending against it since I was 18 years old. There isn’t any reasoning or mediating with those guys and they only understand the “Big Stick” approach. At the same time, the worse news is they are making substantital progress in their long term goal of taking over the country internally without ever firing a shot. “We have met the enemy and the enemy is us.”

Pat, Communism is practiced by a small percentage of the world’s nations. It isn’t the threat Republicans make it out to be today. But that said, we are Vietnam’s largest trading partner. We can and should use that economic power to demand changes in their human rights policies and in how they conduct their governmental affairs. Other than having a fit over Larry’s idea, just how do you propose we change things in Vietnam Pat?

I have to love these “freedom-loving Libertarian/Conservative/TeaParty/Republicans talking about human rights whenthey deny those rights to people here in the US. Gays/Lesbians, Transgendered, Bi-Sexual, Undocumented immigrants, atheists, the elderly, the poor…..you guys are huge hypocrites.

How’s China’s economic power holding up Pat?

Jim Smith

April 15, 2014 at 8:11 pm

Lt. Par, I’ve heard this story about Krom nearly agreeing to a One China Policy for Irvine for years now, but the Agranistas always adamantly deny it and call it an outright lie. I’d love to finally be able to tell this like it is without being fed the “Choi did it” line in response. Glad you’re here to finally put the matter to bed. Are you saying that you, or that one of your colleagues, saw Krom’s signature on a tentative letter of agreement that would have done this? Thanks for clearing this up for everyone. –Jim

junior

April 16, 2014 at 5:54 am

“We can and should use that economic power to demand changes in their human rights policies and in how they conduct their governmental affairs.”

LOL! – Do you mean like the p**sy sanctions we are using against Putin now? A lot of good those have done. No Dan, economic power won’t do it with the BHO admin involved – too much crony capitalism there for that to work.

Allan Bartlett

April 16, 2014 at 1:15 pm

I guess Lou Correa and Jose Solario were red baiting as well. They also spoke against this ridiculous proposal.

They didn’t Red-Bait Allan; Commie Cards and all. You have no shame and you’re a disgrace to the city you represent as a commissioner. You ought to resign

junior

April 17, 2014 at 6:27 am

“They didn’t Red-Bait Allan ..”

Dan: What did Correa and Solorio do that was ANY different than those whom you point out as “Red-baiters”?

Ltpar

April 17, 2014 at 9:36 am

Dan, not my job to defend the honor of Allan Bartlett, but as a Irvine taxpayer I think he is doing a fine job in his Commission post. I would go so far as to encourage Allan and the other two conservative Commissioners to take a hard look at the City Budget and remove more of the Larry Agran pork in the next budget cycle. The only disgraces I continue to see on the horizon are Larry Agran and Beth Krom, so why don’t you suggest they resign?

Greg

April 17, 2014 at 11:35 am

Dan, you said, “Fleischman fails to see that his Republican Party seeks to install party thugs as local city government officials.”

Where do you stand on the three Democratic thugs your party installed in Sacramento who have been convicted of and accused of a litany of crimes?

Dan Chmielewski

April 17, 2014 at 2:35 pm

Greg, you missed the word “local” in from of “city.” If you want to start talking “state,” let’s. And start with Mike Duvall, who resigned in disgrace after having bragged about having sex with a lobbyist while he was in office and married. And’s not forget your party’s candidate for Governor, Mr. Donnelly. A weapon’s charge against him I believe. Tea Party member. Minuteman. failed business owner. Bully

Greg

April 17, 2014 at 4:07 pm

Dan, I’m so glad you answered my question, rather than use the typical liberal deflection tactic. Oh wait … I guess you did make some cryptic comment about local versus state, which seems odd, but at least you acknowledged that I made a comment, you just ignored my question. Unlike you, I will actually address your points (which have nothing to do with my question, but that’s my fault for believing a liberal will actually discuss issues that are unfavorable to them). What Mike Duvall did was disgusting, and I am glad he resigned. Would he have been expelled (or even suspended) had he not resigned? Doubtful under the loose Democratic standards that apparently one has to have a conviction upheld on appeal, or be caught trying to run guns for a mobster to finally be suspended. Donnelly plead no contest and got probation and a fine for the weapons charge. I’ll put that up against your three princes any day of the week. At least Donnelly supports gun ownership while your Senator Yee pushes for gun control laws while he’s trying to secure illegal weapons (really big guns, too) for his mobster friends. You’re right, Donnelly’s a bad guy.

Ltpar

April 17, 2014 at 6:59 pm

Jim, I have a copy of the Letter of Agreement signed by both Mayor Krom from Irvine and Mayor Sun Chao from Xuhui, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. If you have further interest or would like to see a copy, send me your e-mail at Ltpar@aol.com.